Many service and trade professions involve tools or other objects which are required in order for the worker to quickly and efficiently perform their service. For example, both mechanics and surgeons utilize a variety of tools and materials that must be organized and readily accessible during the performance of a task. Similarly, housekeepers and tradesman (i.e., plumbers, electricians, carpenters, repair technicians, handymen, etc.) utilize a wide variety of tools, parts, chemicals, etc. that are highly specialized to the specific task at hand. In addition to professional occupations, many crafts and hobbies involve the use of tools, chemicals, adhesives, and a variety of small parts which are easily misplaced or obscured by other equipment.
When a user is required to search for items while performing a task, the efficiency of the user decreases and frustration often occurs. In some instances, a user's inability to quickly and efficiently locate a needed item can result in increased consumer costs, repurchase of “lost” items, or in the case of a surgeon, added patient injury and/or death.
There currently exist a variety of storage-specific containers or other containers that are commonly used or retrofitted to meet the storage needs of a user. For example, a standard five-gallon bucket is commonly used by tradesmen to hold their various tools, parts and materials for use on a jobsite. In some instances, all of the user's materials are simply placed into the bucket in a random manner, whereby the user is required to dig and sort through the contents of the bucket to find their desired items. Various storage or organizing systems are available for five-gallon buckets, some of which include internal dividers, stackable organizing trays, and/or internal/external storage pockets which hang from the rim of the bucket. Alternative storage containers include a variety of caddies, totes, trays, carts and other types of storage containers having a variety of compartments having shapes and sizes that are generally designed to receive one or more common items. For example, a caddy advertised and sold for use with cleaning tools, may include a compartment having dimensions for receiving a standard spray bottle. For hobbies and crafts, or other instances where storage of small items is desired, a variety of storage systems are available which include movable dividers which may be strategically placed by the user to achieve a desired sub-compartment layout. Generally, these dividers are placed between sidewalls of the container and/or between one or more immovable interior wall or divider. Thus, the user may be limited in one or more desired dimension of a desired sub-compartment.
Thus, while systems and methods currently exist for organizing and providing ready access to a variety of tools, items and materials, challenges still exist. The present invention addresses and overcomes these challenges.